Michael Carrick has described the Emirates FA Cup as "special" as Boro prepare to kick-off in the competition for 2024/25.
Blackburn Rovers are the visitors to the Riverside on Saturday for the third round tie.
Ahead of the game, here are some of the key quotes from Carrick's pre-match press conference...
ON PAST FA CUP CAMPAIGNS...
We’ve had a couple of really tough draws over the last couple of years, and arguably the toughest we could have got with the two in-form teams at the country at the time (Brighton in 2022/23 and Aston Villa in 2023/24). I think we learned a lot from those games and they were really good experiences, not just for me but the players as well. It’s what the cup throws up. We had a different cup run last year (in the Carabao Cup) and had some success. It gives you good emotions and good feelings and excitement. We certainly look forward to this one.
ON BLACKBURN...
They’re a really, really good team. They made it difficult for us when we played them earlier in the season and we weren’t at our best. They’ve had some really good results. John Eustace has done a terrific job and they’re right up there with us, up and around it. What Saturday looks like, we’ll have to wait and see. It’s about us and what we need to get from the game, how we can approach the game and putting in a good performance.
ON THE FA CUP...
I’ve got a lot of love for this competition and respect for it, so we’ll definitely take it seriously. It’s an important game for the club as well. We’ve got to make a call on certain players and how it might look, which is only natural. We’ve got a good squad and we’ve rotated through league games at certain times as well, so it’s something we’ll look at but definitely something we’ll take seriously. It's a special competition and we've got a responsibility to carry it on.
ON MATTHEW HOPPE...
Matthew has left us mutually. It was right for both of us and we wish Matthew all the best. In the end it didn’t quite work for him as he hoped, and with the right intentions. We wish him all the very best with the rest of his career and hopefully he has a successful one.
ON WINNING THE FA CUP AS A PLAYER...
It was an incredible day for me, winning it. I missed out once or twice before that on good opportunities to win it, but you don’t take anything for granted and I never assumed I should win it just because I’d had a level of success. It was one of the better days with my family and kids old enough to experience it. It was a pretty special day.